Devin Nunes Wont Even Show His Infamous Memo to the Justice Department

[fleur-de-lisa]

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/01/devin-nunes-wont-even-show-his-infamous-memo-to-the-justice-department/

Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) won’t #releasethememo. The now infamous document was prepared by Republican staffers for the House Intelligence Committee, which is chaired by Nunes, and it supposedly details how the FBI and the Justice Department improperly conducted surveillance in connection with the Trump-Russia probe. Conservatives looking to discredit the Russia investigation have embraced the classified memo, though they haven’t seen it, and have called for its release. But Nunes has so far insisted on keeping it secret—even from the Justice Department.

“We requested to see the memo and have not been given access to read it,” a Justice Department source tells Mother Jones. The FBI has also been denied access to the document, the Daily Beast revealed on Sunday.

The memo reportedly asserts that federal officials abused their power by seeking a warrant targeting a Trump campaign adviser under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) without disclosing that evidence cited in the application relied on research by former British spy Christopher Steele. The ex-MI6 officer, who once ran the spy agency’s Russia desk, was working for a firm that was paid by Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee.

The four-page memo has become a cause célèbre on the right, with assorted Trump backers, alt-righters, and congressional Republicans taking to Twitter with demands that someone “#releasethememo.” Donald Trump Jr. and Michael Flynn Jr., who have both come under scrutiny in the course of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Trump’s Russia ties, have joined the online chorus calling for the memo’s release. Also helping the #releasethememo campaign reach trending status: a network of Russian bots.

[C_U_L8R]

1. Paging Director Mueller. Paging Director Mueller.

[MontanaMama]

2. What am I missing?

Why would Nunes refuse to release the memo if it would help the Tangeranus, Jr, Flynn Jr etc? Unless there’s something damning to all of them in the memo...why keep it under wraps? IF there’s damning info in it, why would GOPers be crying for its release? Maybe somebody explained it here on DU and it got by me...sorry if that’s the case.

[Fred Sanders]

4. The memo is bunk, plain and simple. Foxxxy News inspired b.s.

[LanternWaste]

6. Nunes is holding a pair of two's and hoping he bluffs us into thinking he's got a full hand.

Here's the thumbnail... in all probability, the memo is little more than a list of GOP talking points agreed upon to throw doubt on the FBI's Russia investigation.

Nunes has tried this stunt before when he pretended evidence existed on the “unmasking” of surveillance targets and produced nothing more than a blank piece of paper. That's a major reason many people are skeptical there's anything in the memo beyond "Democrats are poo-poo heads" written in purple crayon.

My guess is the GOP members criticizing Nunes for not releasing are playing Kabuki theater-- knowing he has nothing (a vote was held by the committee last week allowing the memo to be shared with all members of congress), but damn they get to look righteous demanding its release to the public, and get to stir the pot with back-handed comments and left-handed compliments.



This, as summed up in the Mother Jones article: Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, last week called the memo “a profoundly misleading set of talking points drafted by Republican staff attacking the FBI and its handling of the investigation.

Nunes is holding a pair of two's and hoping he bluffs us into thinking he's got a full hand.

[MontanaMama]

7. Got it.

Thank you for that explanation. I’m headed to Mother Jones to find that article. My fear was that I’d missed something and this mystery memo contained something damaging...glad that’s not likely the case.

[lagomorph777]

11. Same as usual; Dustbin Nunes is full of shit.

[Gothmog]

3. This is the latest RWNJ conspiracy theory

Link to tweet

[MLAA]

5. DEVIL Nunes is going to prison.

[Caliman73]

8. Oh, I am sure that there are ways to compel the release.

As others have said, Nunes is bluffing, but he is afflicted with "the stupid" and cannot fool anyone except people on the right who desperately want to be fooled. I have a family member who posts these ridiculous conspiracies on social media. My response, "You honestly think that if the Republicans actually had a legitimate document that would destroy the Trump/Russia investigation, destroy President Obama's credibility, and destroy Hillary Clinton's reputation that it would not be front and center of every news organization? They are so desperate to believe that they get themselves stuck in these loops where they lie about having things, then they can't ever produce the proof because it will shatter their fragile egos. So, this will be supplanted by the next HUGE scandal, with no proof.

[mfcorey1]

9. I hope Mueller calls his traitorous a*& to be interviewed! eom

[Gothmog]

10. Here is the memo

This was posted on DU earlier
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100210133923

[struggle4progress]

12. "I got plenty of nothing"

ttps://

[kentuck]

13. Read this letter that was sent today to Facebook and Twitter:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100210135644

[Gothmog]

14. Congressman Schiff is calling Nunes out for lying

Link to tweet

[HipChick]

15. Apparently Infowars got a copy...

I'm not going to provide a link for traffic..